Gerry Moddejonge, Edmonton Sun

EDMONTON - Ricky Ray may be their full-time starter, but the Edmonton Eskimos quarterback hasn’t played the full game half the time.

In six of their 12 games so far this season, Ray has been pulled at some point for a backup quarterback.

The last time Ray tossed a complete game before last Sunday’s 24-6 win over the Toronto Argonauts was in Week 6, against the same opponents.

“It’s been a few games, I don’t know,” Ray responded when asked when his last full game was. “It’s been a while.”

Last week, he regained some of his old form, lasting the full four quarters to complete 21 of 27 pass attempts for 188 yards and a touchdown, as well as adding 24 rushing yards on three attempts.

But beyond any statistics or amount of playing time, Ray gets the most satisfaction from seeing his side ahead on the scoreboard after four quarters.

“It’s just nice to win,” Ray said. “That’s the biggest thing, is going out there and getting that feeling back. That’s why we play this game, is to be good at something, be successful.

“When you’re not doing that it’s not a lot of fun, whether you’re finishing or not finishing. So it was just nice to get the win.”

While Ray had the luxury of working out of a strong pocket last week, he is expecting more of a fight from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Sunday.

“They’re very good up front. They have some D-linemen who can get after the quarterback,” said Ray. “They do a good job of mixing up different looks, different fronts with linebackers coming up and jutting and mugging and doing some stuff.

“They’re not a big pressure team as far as all-out blitz, but they will bring a lot of twists up front.”